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December 06, 2024 - 11:16 AM คําหน้าพวง - aurelia_rickman@yahoo.com.au There is something reassuringly robust about The Punch Bowl Inn. Not just in the old-fashioned bar, where the Wainwright Gold is well kept and a huge leather sofa sits before a blazing wood burner; or in the dining room, solid and comfortable, with its old beams, well-trodden wooden floors and tables unadorned with cloths; it's in the menu, too, mainly British with a Gallic burr, that makes full use of the magnificent local Lake District larder. Stornoway black pudding with crispy egg and bubble and squeak: ‘pure Cumbrian comfort by way of Lewis', is Tom's verdict We're here with Peter Gott, that great Cumbrian hero, and the man behind Sillfield Farm, who has invited me up to cook at the Westmorland County Show; also chef Phil Vickery, who certainty knows his alliums; and the force of nature that is Lorraine Stanton, something of a legend around these parts. But first dinner, and a sublime twice-baked Mrs Kirkham's cheese soufflé, the texture as light as a sigh, the flavour profoundly, lasciviously rich. Mrs Kirkham's, now made by her son Graham, is one of the world's great cheeses, and this is a soufflé of quiet majesty. A mushroom soup is equally splendid, managing to be both light and gutsy, while Stornoway black pudding with bubble and squeak and a deep-fried egg is pure Cumbrian comfort by way of Lewis. There's a fundamental generosity here, matched by assured technical precision. Duck à l'orange sees a plump breast cooked rare, the skin crisp, the sauce just the right side of bitter. It comes with a fat potato fondant and cabbage spiked with shards of smoked bacon. I eat rump of lamb, four vast just-pink slices, drenched in the stickiest, most gloriously intense of gravies; by its side, a tiny shepherd's pie, one bite of pure ovine brilliance. Puddings are every bit as fine: a lemon tart, beautifully sharp, with damson sorbet (this part of the Lake District is famed for its damsons); along with a banana soufflé, this time the classic version but... IP : 92.112.235.127 |